Playing with Fire
by j-wills
Summary: Even though Angel had told him things between them are ok again, Wes didn’t feel right going back. How would the others feel about him? They’d never look at him the same. But what if they NEEDED him? Say if for instance, something happend to the boss.
1. Bitterness

div align="center"bPlaying with Fire  
  
div align="center"bWritten by J.Wills  
  
Disclaimer: No own, no sue!  
  
Notes to Reader: This mostly follows the first three seasons with moderate season four references. However, SOME things are different.  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
"I know you're afraid to admit defeat, but I'm not afraid of telling ya that your own business SUCKS. Angel's the super hero, not you dear. Ok, so you've got the books, a couple of weapons and some homeless bums with nothing better to do; but without Angel, you're half a man."  
  
Wesley felt disgusted with himself for bedding the evil lawyer-ess, but he still did it anyway. It was the same thing every night, sex with Lilah, followed by harsh words at each other, followed by more sex. Right now, they were in between harsh words and more sex. She laid on top of him, kissing him all over his face, and then while she got her breath back she enjoyed making him feel small.  
  
Wesley rolled Lilah off him and rolled on top of her, just looking down on her. "All business' have shaky starts, this one is no different. You're still reeling from my rejecting your offer to join Wolfram & Hart, I'll always be too good for that Lilah."  
  
Lilah pushed her lips together and shook her head, "Oh yes. The great Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, what evil law firm could manage without him? The man that grows a beard whenever he's feeling unwanted. If memory serves me right, that all came about when ya precious little Texan rejected you in favour of the boy from the block."  
  
Wesley said nothing; he pushed her head back down to the pillow and began passionately kissing her over and over.  
  
The next morning, Lilah got dressed for work as Wesley still lay in bed and watched. "If you find yourself not being able to get any work done because of me, I'm not doing anything that can't be postponed."  
  
Lilah looked back to him lying in bed and grinned, "I'll be in touch."  
  
Wesley heard her say the words, but it left him feeling oddly hollow. He had returned Lilah's twisted smirk with a disinterested stare and watched as she picked up her handbag and left his apartment.  
  
He got out slowly from his bed and walked to the window, staring at the grimy streets below, as he got dressed.  
  
As he watched an old woman push a shopping trolley across the road, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Everything she had said to him last night was right, ever since he rescued Angel from the ocean bed, business slowly dried up. But at least until tonight, he tried to put his misguided night of passion with Lilah to the back of his mind. It had been so easy then - she was there, and he had a need - to feel again; anything except the black bitterness and despair that had been eating him alive since the day he returned home from hospital after having his throat cut.  
  
For a couple of hours a night, he was able to escape the bitter turmoil of life and just enjoy the ride, even if it was with Lilah Morgan.  
  
It was then that the phone began to buzz, and after 2 rings he answered. "Ange- Wyndham-Pryce Investigations, Wesley speaking."  
  
After listening to what the caller had to say, he frowned bitterly. "No, I don't know why you can't get through Angel Investigations. No, I'm sorry I can't take your case. Well quite frankly, I don't care that a vampire gang is trying to muscle you out of your night-club racket. I suggest you either let them, or keep trying to contact Angel Investigations. Goodbye!" Wesley slammed the phone down, he was in no mood to hear how his business remained second best as long as Angel was around.  
  
Wesley sat down in front of his desk, opening up his left drawer and pulling out a black book. Closing the drawer, he placed the book on the table and flipped through the pages. His last entry in the book was two weeks ago, this was the book he used to write down case notes. It mainly explained the case outline and how he solved it. Ideally, the book would have been filled with what kind of demon it was, and how he overcame it, or how he stopped the gates of hell from opening, ideally. Most pages were discussing how he managed to stop the gang of youth's blow up their school. Or how he got the elderly widow to confess to having her husband turned in to a vampire to avoid old age, thus still claiming the weekly pension until he tried to kill her.  
  
He studied these pages for a half-hour, having nothing better to do with his time. Suddenly, he stopped, as if someone had distracted him from it. He quickly picked up his cellular phone, and speed dialled.. "Missing me already?" Lilah said with a pleasant smile. "If I didn't know better I'd swear you were falling for me."  
  
"I want you to use your sources to track down a Shaman." He told her, ignoring her previous comments.  
  
"So now you're resorting to dark magic to help your ever failing business?" She asked, as she raised her eyebrows.  
  
"It's certainly going to come in handy for something." He told her, as he pulled a picture frame of himself, Cordelia and Angel closer to him.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	2. Negotiations

CHAPTER 2  
  
The same morning, the Angel Investigations crew were helping Cordelia move her stuff back in to her hold apartment.  
  
"Wow I never knew Cordy had such a collection." Fred told Angel & Gunn, as she looked through a box of books. The Texan girl delved in to her pocket and pulled out a shinny silver case, she opened it up and took out her glasses. "The Secret Garden!" She shouted in very excited, squeaky schoolgirl type tone whilst putting her glasses on.  
  
"When's Fred's birthday?" Angel asked Gunn, as he put a cardboard box labelled 'shoes' down.  
  
"Fred's birthday?" Gunn repeated, also placing a box on the floor.  
  
"I just think it's time we brought Fred a bag, she always carries them in her pocket." Angel replied, referring to Fred's glasses.  
  
"That's ma girl." Gunn told Angel, looking affectionately on at her.  
  
"Oh no, Gunn! Can you put the trophy box in the main room please? That way visitors get to see them whenever they come to my apartment." Cordelia asked as she came in to her room box less.  
  
Gunn sighed, picking up the box and carrying it out of the room.  
  
"Cordy, you don't have to move back in to your old apartment, there's plenty of room back at the Hotel." Angel told her, taking a moments rest from the box carrying.  
  
"Yeah she does!" Gunn interrupted, bringing in Cordy's 'underwear' box.  
  
"Angel, that's very sweet of you but I like my apartment." Cordy told him, touching Gunn's shoulder and pointing to the bed.  
  
"I just. Don't like the idea of you being alone."  
  
"She's not alone." Connor told his father, walking in with the pants box. "I'm moving in too."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"What?!" Angel & Gunn both said one after another, looking to Cordelia for answers.  
  
"Well he can't be alone, and he's already refused to live in the Hotel. This is the perfect solution." Cordy told the others, defending her actions.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll keep her warm. I mean, safe." Connor told his father, attempting to wind him up.  
  
"Ya know, I can move in if you want." Angel said, barging his son out of the way and standing about a metre from Cordelia.  
  
"No you can't! I mean. There's no room." Connor quickly replied.  
  
"Angel, you have a room. Do you really wanna see your son out on the streets?"  
  
"Well no but."  
  
"There you have it then!" Connor said, once again interrupting his father.  
  
It was plainly obvious that both father and son had feelings for the girl, and even more so that Connor was trying to get one over on his dad.  
  
"Sweetie, don't be afraid to get a box." Gunn told Fred, who was still looking through Cordelia's box of books.  
  
"Oh Charles, did you ever read 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' growing up? Back at the library, it was one of the most checked our books and we used to have conversations about like ALL the time. Of course being sucked in to a demon dimension kinder put a stop to that."  
  
"Ya know what? Carry on looking at the books, I'll deal with the boxes." Gunn told her, not wanting to be dragged in to 'mocking bird' conversation.  
  
"Guys, can you start UN-packing these boxes for me?" Cordelia asked father and son, quickly following Gunn out of the room.  
  
In the front room, Gunn shook his head and picked up the 'shirts' box.  
  
"Just 'cos she likes her books, doesn't mean you're not important to her either."  
  
"Oh, I know, it's just sometimes when I see her talking about all this stuff I don't know, I wonder why she fell for me and not Wesley."  
  
"Well don't, it's plainly obvious how much she loves you. And that's sorter thing that brings the rest of us hope." Cordelia told him, as she picked up her phone. "Cut off." She said under her breath and putting the phone down.  
  
bAfternoon, Wolfram & Hart Building  
  
"Sorry hun, but the Senior Partners are refusing to get Wolfram & Hart involved with a Shaman. Can't say I blame them, ever seen a Shaman? Very cryptic things, have this thing where you're forever in debt to them. Holland Manners used one once, almost killed him - it was only because he was due a promotion that the senior partners stepped in and had the Shaman call off the debt. Ever since, there's been this bad blood."  
  
Wesley didn't like rejection much, so being rejected by the evil law firm left him feeling quite humiliated. Especially since they were his sworn enemies, doing business with evil demons and killing innocent people. "Lilah, I came to Wolfram & Hart because I was under the impression they wanted to see Angel lose his soul. This is the perfect way to do it!"  
  
"You have our answer. But I am wondering. Why do you wanna remove your friend's soul?" Lilah was quite puzzled, she knew Wesley had changed since parting ways with Angel Investigations. But she never knew he was evil.  
  
Wesley made no answer, he simply shook his head in disappointment and stood up; making his way to the door. "Strange, before you gave yourself a promotion, you disagreed with the Senior Partners a number of times." He told her, closing the door behind him.  
  
bWesley's apartment, same afternoon  
  
As Wes entered his apartment, the room turned dark - even though the blinds were wide open.  
  
"Why have you contacted me human?" A deep voice asked.  
  
Wesley instantly knew what was happening. "So Lilah came through." He said quietly, she still managed to surprise him. "I take it you're aware of the vampire with a soul?" He shouted across the room, making no attempt to see or question him, and getting right down to business.  
  
"You want it removed." The voice said back.  
  
"Yes, what will it cost to remove the vampire's soul?"  
  
"You're life!" The voice shouted.  
  
"The cost for soul extraction is life? Does it have to be mine?" Wesley questioned.  
  
"Money is of no use to a Shaman, extracting soul's takes a lot of power, a life must be taken in exchange, life charges our power."  
  
"Can't you go out and kill someone?"  
  
Light returned to the room, and the Shaman was revealed. He was covered in black clothing and wore a hooded mask that covered his face, only his eyes could be seen. "You want me to perform dark magic, in return I take your life, or you find a life and still owe me yours."  
  
"I'll get you life. And pledge mine in debt you as well."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. Done Deed

Chapter 3  
  
It had been a busy morning for the Angel Investigations team, one that Angel himself had sat out in favour of sleep. It's not that he refused to go cleaning out vampire nests with Fred & Gunn, but they knew how to deal with them sort of situations and they needed the time alone. Angel was now up and about practising some moves with his favourite sword when the two came back.  
  
"Yo the way you dealt with two vamps at once, that was tight!"  
  
"Well I always had you to help me out if my new invention failed to work." The two seemed much brighter now, they had their arms around each other and were all smiles.  
  
"No problems then?" Angel asked, stopping with the sword practise.  
  
"Hell no! You shoulder seen Fred's invention man, the vamps didn't know whether to applaud or bite!"  
  
"So instead we dusted them, but I think I broke my staking machine when I accidentally got carried away and drove it in to the wall." Fred pouted.  
  
"How did you make that thing?" Angel asked, now opting to sit down on the circular couch and put his feet up on the coffee table.  
  
"Oh well I went to the junk yard and found an old chainsaw, removed the saw blade, sharpened a stick in to the shape of a stake and fitted it in place of the saw. Simple, except when I turned it on the stake didn't move back and fourth like I hoped.. But I replaced the wiring and it was as good as knew."  
  
"I was with ya up ta oh well, but I'll say it again. That weapon is tight!"  
  
"Hey Gunn that reminds me." Angel said, getting up from his seat and moving closer to Gunn. "A guy came in looking for you, never seen him before but he knew you."  
  
"That don't sound too good, what did the guy want?" Gunn was puzzled.  
  
"Actually he wanted me to pass on a message." Angel quickly snapped his fist back and punched Gunn in the face, knocking him clean out. He morphed in to his fang face and grabbed Fred, causing her to drop her weapon. "I always wondered what you'd taste like!" He bit in to the helpless and shocked Fred but before he could start drinking properly, he was shot in the throat with an arrow and let go as he rived in pain.  
  
Wesley was standing by the Hyperion doors with a hand held crossbow in one hand, and a cross in the other. "Fred, come over to me quickly."  
  
Fred was still in shock, she was on her knees holding he bleeding neck whimpering. "He. He bit me!"  
  
"Fred! Hurry before he recovers!" Wesley shouted.  
  
Fred had no choice but to get up and run, as much as she was shocked and confused on how her boss would attack her - she had to get away. She quickly made her way across the room to Wesley and dropped back to her knees behind him. "What about Charles?!" She yelled in hysterics.  
  
Angel ripped out the arrow from his throat and winced at the pain, but he soon recovered enough to let out a vampire growl. "C'mon Wes, drop the crossbow and fight like a man. If that's possible! I hurt your woman, don't ya wanna kill me for that?"  
  
He slowly inched towards Wesley, whose trigger finger was getting closer to letting go.  
  
"No, she's my woman!" Gunn told him, getting up from the floor and belting Angel in the face with his axe. Angel hit the ground like a sack of spuds, lying in pain for a moment. "Sorry man, but not even you can get away with hurting ma girl!"  
  
As Angel slowly got to his hands and knees, spitting out blood, Gunn went for the big finish.  
  
"Charles, NO!" Fred screamed at him, as he brought the axe down and belted Angel on the head, knocking him clean out.  
  
"He bit you Fred, he ain't gonna get away wit dat!"  
  
"Gunn we have to leave before he wakes up, it is not safe." Wesley calmly told him, letting his guard down.  
  
"Look, I know you only saved our asses 'cos you like Fred, so don't try playing the concerned hero, you still ain't wanted!"  
  
"Wanted or not, I'm the only person here that knows what Angelus is capable of, he's not your run of the mill bad guy and I intend on finding out why he longer has a soul."  
  
"Well then we shouldn't be running, if Angel has lost his soul we need to ask him how. The answer doesn't lie in books, it lies with him." Fred told the others, looking down at the unconscious Angel.  
  
"He's no longer Angel, he's another personae and if we wait around to ask him why he's trying to kill us he will rip our throats out." Wesley told her.  
  
"Then we make sure he can't, we lock him up securely and torture the answers out of him." Gunn said, starting to take control of the matter. "Fred call Cordelia and let her know what's happened." He looked to Wes with a less approachable look, "You think you can lock him up?"  
  
"What are you going to do?" Wesley asked returning the bad looks and negative voice.  
  
"Im-a get the torture tools!" He said raising his eyebrows and smiling. "Oh and if I were you, I'd hurry up cos the dudes starting to stir!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


End file.
